Research Interests

Current Projects

Positions/Employment

Education

2006 - B.S. - Meteorology, Millersville University, Millersville, PA.
2007 - M.S. - Meteorology, Penn State University, University Park, PA.
2014 - PhD - Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD.

Professional Societies

Awards

• 2008 Exceptional Scientific Research, Mesoscale Atmospheric Branch, NASA GSFC
• 2008 NASA Group Achievement Award – TC4 Team
• 2009 SSAI Publication Award
• 2011 NASA Group Achievement Award – GloPac Team
• 2011 SSAI Publication Award (2)
• 2014 Outstanding Performance - Instrumentation, Atmospheric Sciences, NASA GSFC
• 2014 NASA IRAD Innovator of the Year, Team Award (CATS)
• 2015 NASA Group Achievement Award – CATS Team
• 2016 Best Science Highlight, Atmospheric Sciences, NASA GSFC
• 2018 NASA Special Act Award for chairing the Science Directorate Committee
   

Special Experience

• Participant in the 2005 UCAR Undergraduate Leadership Workshop in Boulder, CO
• Co-Investigator funded to provide assessment of CALIPSO retrieval uncertainties and examining cirrus cloud properties, 2009-2011.
• Co-Investigator funded to integrate the Airborne Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (ACATS) lidar to aircraft, 2009-2011.
• Co-Investigator funded to provide Cloud Physics Lidar measurements for the SEAC4RS field campaign, 2011-2013.
• Committee member, NASA AeroCenter, 2013 – 2016.
• Science Lead, International Space Station (ISS) Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS), 2013 – present.
• Director, NASA Earth Science Young Scientist Forum, 2013 – present.
• Co-Investigator funded to analyze synergistic ice cloud observations from eMAS, RSP, and CPL, 2014-present.
• Science Principal Investigator funded to evaluate the vertical variability of clouds and aerosols over large and small horizontal scales using CALIPSO and CATS data, 2016-2018.
• Principal Investigator, Airborne Cloud Aerosol Transport System (ACATS), 2016-present.
• Co-Investigator funded to quantify Dust Deposition into Oceans Through Integrating Measurements from CALIPSO Lidar and Other Satellite Sensors, 2016-present.
• Co-Investigator funded to characterize Aerosol Transport from Mid-Latitudes to Polar Regions with Twin Spaceborne Lidars and GEOS-5 Model, 2016-present.
• Deputy Principal Investigator, Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS), 2018-present.
• Member, Science Assessment Team for Aerosol-Cloud-Convection-Precipitation (A-CCP) Decadal Survey Dedicated Observable Study Team, 2018-present.
   

Publications

Refereed

Pauly, R. M., J. E. Yorks, D. L. Hlavka, et al. M. J. McGill, V. Amiridis, S. P. Palm, S. D. Rodier, M. A. Vaughan, P. A. Selmer, A. W. Kupchock, H. Baars, and A. Gialitaki. 2019. "Cloud Aerosol Transport System (CATS) 1064 nm Calibration and Validation." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 1-22 (Submitted) [10.5194/amt-2019-172]

Lee, L., J. Zhang, J. S. Reid, and J. E. Yorks. 2018. "Investigation of CATS aerosol products and application toward global diurnal variation of aerosols." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions, 1-47 (Submitted) [10.5194/acp-2018-1298]

Noel, V., H. Chepfer, M. Chiriaco, and J. Yorks. 2018. "The diurnal cycle of cloud profiles over land and ocean between 51°S and 51°N, seen by the CATS spaceborne lidar from the International Space Station." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 18 (13): 9457-9473 [10.5194/acp-18-9457-2018]

Rajapakshe, C., Z. Zhang, J. E. Yorks, et al. H. Yu, Q. Tan, K. Meyer, S. Platnick, and D. M. Winker. 2017. "Seasonally transported aerosol layers over southeast Atlantic are closer to underlying clouds than previously reported." Geophysical Research Letters, [10.1002/2017gl073559]

Sinclair, K., B. van Diedenhoven, B. Cairns, et al. J. Yorks, A. Wasilewski, and M. McGill. 2017. "Remote Sensing of Multiple Cloud Layer Heights using Multi-Angular Measurements." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions, 1-23 [10.5194/amt-2017-2]

Hughes, E. J., J. Yorks, N. A. Krotkov, A. M. da Silva, and M. McGill. 2016. "Using CATS Near-Realtime Lidar Observations to Monitor and Constrain Volcanic Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) Forecasts." Geophysical Research Letters, [10.1002/2016gl070119]

Wu, L., O. Hasekamp, B. van Diedenhoven, et al. B. Cairns, J. E. Yorks, and J. Chowdhary. 2016. "Passive remote sensing of aerosol layer height using near-UV multiangle polarization measurements." Geophysical Research Letters, 43 (16): 8783-8790 [10.1002/2016gl069848]

Alexandrov, M. D., B. Cairns, B. van Diedenhoven, et al. A. S. Ackerman, A. P. Wasilewski, M. J. McGill, J. E. Yorks, D. L. Hlavka, S. E. Platnick, and G. T. Arnold. 2016. "Polarized view of supercooled liquid water clouds." Remote Sensing of Environment, 181: 96-110 [10.1016/j.rse.2016.04.002]

Yorks, J. E., M. J. McGill, S. P. Palm, et al. D. L. Hlavka, P. A. Selmer, E. P. Nowottnick, M. A. Vaughan, S. D. Rodier, and W. D. Hart. 2016. "An overview of the CATS level 1 processing algorithms and data products." Geophysical Research Letters, 43 (9): 4632-4639 [10.1002/2016gl068006]

van Diedenhoven, B., A. M. Fridlind, B. Cairns, A. S. Ackerman, and J. E. Yorks. 2016. "Vertical variation of ice particle size in convective cloud tops." Geophysical Research Letters, 43 (9): 4586-4593 [10.1002/2016gl068548]

Meyer, K. G., S. E. Platnick, G. T. Arnold, et al. R. E. Holz, P. Veglio, J. E. Yorks, and C. Wang. 2016. "Cirrus cloud optical and microphysical property retrievals from eMAS during SEAC⁴RS using bi-spectral reflectance measurements within the 1.88  µm water vapor absorption band." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 9 (4): 1743-1753 [10.5194/amt-9-1743-2016]

Alexandrov, M. D., B. Cairns, A. P. Wasilewski, et al. A. S. Ackerman, M. J. McGill, J. E. Yorks, J. E. Hlavka, S. E. Platnick, G. T. Arnold, B. van Diedenhoven, J. Chowdhary, M. Ottaviani, and K. D. Knobelspiesse. 2015. "Liquid water cloud properties during the Polarimeter Definition Experiment (PODEX)." Remote Sens. Environ., 169: 20-36 [doi:10.1016/j.rse.2015.07.029]

Yorks, J. E., M. J. McGill, V. S. Scott, et al. A. W. Kupchock, S. W. Wake, D. L. Hlavka, W. D. Hart, and P. A. Selmer. 2014. "The Airborne Cloud-Aerosol Transport System: Overview and Description of the Instrument and Retrieval Algorithms." Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 31: 2482-2497 [10.1175/JTECH-D-14-00044.1]

Hlavka, D. L., J. E. Yorks, M. J. McGill, et al. S. A. Young, M. A. Vaughan, R. E. Kuehn, and S. D. Rodier. 2012. "Airborne validation of cirrus cloud properties derived from CALIPSO lidar measurements: Optical properties." Journal of Geophysical Research, 116: D19207 [10.1029/2011JD015942]

Yorks, J., M. McGill, D. Hlavka, and W. Hart. 2011. "Statistics of Cloud Optical Properties from Airborne Lidar Measurements." Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 28 (7): 869-883 [10.1175/2011JTECHA1507.1]

Yorks, J., D. Hlavka, A. Mark, et al. M. McGill, W. Hart, R. Sharon, and K. Ralph. 2011. "Airborne validation of cirrus cloud properties derived from CALIPSO lidar measurements: Spatial properties." J. Geophys. Res., 116 (D19): D19207 [10.1029/2011JD015942]

Thompson, A. M., A. M. MacFarlane, G. A. Morris, et al. J. E. Yorks, S. K. Miller, B. F. Taubman, G. Verver, H. Voemel, M. A. Avery, J. W. Hair, G. S. Diskin, E. V. Browell, J. M. Valverde-Canossa, T. L. Kucsera, C. A. Klich, and D. L. Hlavka. 2010. "Convective and wave signatures in ozone profiles over the equatorial Americas: Views from TC4 2007 and SHADOZ." J. Geophys. Res., 115: D00J23 [10.1029/2009JD012909]

Yorks, J. E., M. J. Mcgill, S. Rodier, et al. M. Vaughan, Y. Hu, and D. L. Hlavka. 2009. "Radiative effects of African dust and smoke observed from Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) data." J. Geophys. Res., 114: D00H04 [10.1029/2009JD012000]

Yorks, J., A. Thompson, E. Joseph, and S. Miller. 2009. "The variability of free tropospheric ozone over Beltsville, Maryland (39N, 77W) in the summers 2004–2007." Atmos Environ, 43 (11): 1827-1838 [10.1016/j.atmosenv.2008.12.049]

Pfister, G., L. Emmons, P. Hess, et al. J. Lamarque, A. Thompson, and J. Yorks. 2008. "Analysis of the Summer 2004 ozone budget over the United States using Intercontinental Transport Experiment Ozonesonde Network Study (IONS) observations and Model of Ozone and Related Tracers (MOZART-4) simulations." J. Geophys. Res., 113 (D23): D23306 [10.1029/2008JD010190]

Thompson, A., J. Yorks, S. Miller, et al. J. C. Witte, K. Dougherty, G. Morris, D. Baumgardner, L. Ladino, and B. Rappenglueck. 2008. "Tropospheric ozone sources and wave activity over Mexico City and Houston during MILAGRO/Intercontinental Transport Experiment (INTEX-B) Ozonesonde Network Study, 2006 (IONS-06)." Atmos. Chem. Phys., 8 (17): 5113-5125 [10.5194/acp-8-5113-2008]